The taste of forbidden love
by My Russian God
Summary: Rose is trying to leave her past behind and moves to a new place trying to fit in. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she loses her confidence and basically everything that makes her who she is. Will someone put all her broken pieces together and mend her heart before it's too late? ALL HUMAN
1. Prologue

**All human**

**Rose is trying to leave her past behind and moves to a new place trying to fit in. But when her past comes back to haunt her, she loses her confidence and basically everything that makes her who she is. Will someone put all her broken pieces together and mend her heart before it's too late?**

**DISCLAMAIR: All the characters belong to Richelle Mead.**

Falling leaves. That is what I see everywhere. Huge trees tremble making their beautiful green coat fall down. The sky is clear blue as always not caring what is happening to the rest of the world. I look down to my diary opened up on my lap. Recently I have picked up the habit of writing a diary since my heart couldn't contain any more emotions.

Emotions are strange things. They make you feel like you can live your life to the fullest while on the other hand they make you want to end it. I don't know what I am feeling right now. May be you can help me? Let me start from the beginning.

My name is Rosemarie Hathaway. I will probably kick you if you call me that.

I m sorry, didn't mean to be rude. Let's start again.

I am Rose Hathaway and I live in New York, well not for long. Boys describe me as hot and sexy and I don't blame them. With my hour-glass figure and slightly tanned complexion I look like a princess. Princess was what _he_ used to call me. I am just a 17 year old girl who just completed her sophomore year. After the umm…incident, mother and I have decided to move back to Montana where everything began (My mother gave birth to me there.)

I am in my backyard right now, trying very hard not to cry. I will miss this place. I close my diary and get up. I walk around a little bit and finally make my way to the house. I open the door and I am greeted by the barren house. I give out a mournful sigh. I don't know if moving out will change anything. I mean what's the use? It will definitely not change my past and I am working so hard to get over it.

"That's why we are moving out, honey. I don't know if it will work but we have to try." Janine is the best mother and raising kids on her own without my father must have been difficult. My father left my mother the moment I was born. I always felt guilty about that and my mother started resenting me for the mistakes my father did. I don't even know his name! All I know is that he is some Turkish guy with a very cool hair. My mother has red curly one while I have dark silky smooth hair. Mason always said that my hair is the most beautiful thing on me. Mason _was_ my brother.

But after the incident, we realized that life is too short and wasting it away in resenting each other for unjustified grudge is pathetic. So we started making up for all the lost time together. We went to movies, had picnics, and basically all other girly things including painting each other's toes. At first it was very awkward but we started warming up to each other. No matter what, she is my mother after all.

Back to present, I mumble, "Let's see."

We move out together ready to leave our past behind.

**What do you think? Should I continue? It all depends on you guys. So please RXR**


	2. Chapter 1

**Thank you guys. Well, here is the first chapter**

**Disclaimer: All characters belong to Richelle Mead **

Chapter1

"_Mason, please." I begged, I pleaded. But he didn't listen to me. He never does. I tried to get him out of the killing machine but his leg was stuck. He shook his head asking me to go away. But how could I? How could I leave my only brother to die? But that's what I did in the past and I regret it every day. _

_I moved towards him again motioning him to come out of that thing and escape with me. After some more attempts my vision started to blur from lack of oxygen and Mason panicked. Not for him but for me. He shook his head vigorously encouraging me to go without him but I didn't. I made that mistake once and I was not going to repeat it again. I grabbed his hand and tried to pull him out but his leg prevented him from his much needed escape. Then Mason shoved me away with a force that shocked even me making me stumble into the darkness. _

"_Mason!"_

I woke up with a jolt and pushed my damp hair away from my eyes. It was always the same dream and I always tortured myself with what ifs. What if I had been strong enough to get him out? What if I had not obeyed Mason and stayed with him? Because, I would rather die than feel this pain which never seems to go. But life goes on and I have move with the flow.

I rubbed the sleep off my eyes and squinted at the bright sunlight entering the room. After getting off the bed I made my way towards the bathroom. The girl in the mirror looked nothing like the Rose I know or use to know. Sure, she had long dark hair and brown eyes. But those brown eyes had seen things that haunt it day and night.

I brushed my teeth and put my hair up in a messy bun covering it with shower cap and stepped inside the shower. The hot water soothed me making me forget about my dream for the moment. I scrubbed my body clean and washed myself again. After finishing up with my shower I wrapped myself in a towel and stood in front of the wardrobe. Today is my first day of school and I shifted to Montana just a few weeks back. Those weeks were spent in settling things and what not.

I went through my wardrobe and found the perfect outfit to wear. I tossed the towel that covered my naked body on the chair and immediately put on my black panties and matching bra. I pulled on a lace black Georgette top which was kind of see through but who the hell cares? I took out the denim shorts out of the wardrobe and put it on. I applied slight mascara and completed my barely their make-up with lip gloss.

I packed my bag and walked down the stairs. But when my eyes fell on the grandpa clock near 12 inches TV, I skipped down the stairs. It was already 8:30 and the school starts at 9. Great! It's my first day of school and I am already running late. Mom was nowhere in sight so I assumed she was already at work. I grabbed an apple out of the fridge and rushed out of the house. Putting on my black boots and locking the door securely, I started walking towards the bus stop.

My mother offered to be my ride but I always declined and after some more feeble attempts she gave up. I absolutely hate cars and she knows why. The bus arrived five minutes later and I got in. After getting my ticket I made my way towards the back of the bus and sat beside a boy with sandy blond hair and hazel colored eyes. He was very cute. His hazel eyes looked me up and down and I smirked, "See what you like?" He blushed a cute pink and mumbled a hello. He introduced himself, "I am Eddie Castle" I smiled at him sweetly and said, "Rose Hathaway." He motioned toward the bag I was carrying and asked me about my school. I said, "I don't know. I am new to this place. I am going to attend here. Any idea how that school is?" His face lighted up like a Christmas tree and exclaimed, "I am actually a student there. This is my final year and you will definitely enjoy yourself in the school." I doubt that. I don't let it falter me and keeping up the smile, I whispered to myself "I hope so."

The bus finally reached its destination and I felt my jaw drop at the sight in front of me.

The huge mansion like thing in front of me was actually our school or that's what Eddie explained. The stone fence surrounding the whole campus made it look gothic. The school in New York was nothing compared to this giant thing.

The moment we stepped inside the gate, I could see students swarming all around rushing to their classes. Some were talking in the parking lot while others walked inside the school. Suddenly I bumped into someone. A sweet voice belonging to a very pretty girl panted, "Sorry. I am in a hurry. I was supposed to reach principal's office 5 minutes ago and I am late." That was pretty obvious. I smiled at her and said, "That's okay. Here, let me help you." I waved at Eddie who went off to catch up with his friends and I helped the pretty blonde with carrying the books to the office. The lobby was busy with students and occasional teachers. The blonde smiled at me gently and said, "I am Lissa. Nice to meet you." I replied, "I am Rose. Why are we carrying these books to principal's office?"

She chuckled and answered, "Headmistress Kirova doesn't want them." I looked at her confused, "Then who?" She pointed towards herself and mouthed 'me'. I wonder what she does with so many books. If someone gave these books to me I would burn the books and use it as a medium to fry marshmallows. But she probably reads them. What a waste.

She had green eyes which sparkled every time she got excited which was almost all the time. She pointed me the direction towards the office and went inside the Headmistress' room. An old lady sat behind the desk rummaging through the papers when I interrupted, "Hello. I am Rose Hathaway and I am new here." She looked up at me and then after some more searching through the papers, she said, "Oh yes dear. Here is your schedule."

I took the schedule and stepped outside the office into the hallway.

1st period-History

2nd period-Language

3rd period-Biology

4th period-Maths

Lunch

5th period-Chemistry

6th period-Culinary science/Music/arts

7th period-Physics

8th period-P.E

Huh, I hate school. I wonder who the lecturers would be. Time to find out.

With the help of the school map, I found my way towards the history classroom and surprise! The class already started. "Excuse me." The man in front of the class turned toward me and inevitably all the eyes of the students fell on me.

"New student, you are late. Let this be known that I don't like late comers and just because you are a new student doesn't mean you get any privileges." What an ass. I shrugged nonchalantly and stepped inside the class room.

After looking at the slip of paper I gave him, he continued, "Miss Hathaway, you can sit on the last bench beside Mr. Castle." I smiled at Eddie who had a wide grin on his face and sat beside him.

Eddie whispered, "His name is Stan. He is a jerk and receives pleasure by humiliating others."

"I kind of gathered that." I replied back. The class was as boring as I expected it to be and I could hardly restrain myself from passing out of boredom. After one hour which felt like an eternity to me, we walked out.

When I was taking out my schedule from my bag I bumped into Lissa again. We chuckled.

She asked, "So how was your first class?"

"Should you ask?" I raised an eyebrow, I mean I tried to. She looked at Eddie confused but when he said "Stan" understanding cleared her perplexed expression.

The rest of the periods passed by in a flash and by one we had our break. I moved into the cafeteria where most of the tables were already occupied. I grabbed some donuts and juice and made my way to Lissa and Eddie by the corner of the room. I seated myself beside Lissa and found that Eddie and Lissa weren't the only ones in the group. Lissa squealed, "Rose, meet my sister-" Eddie interrupted in, "and my girlfriend, Jill." He had his arm around a very good looking girl who looked younger than us with green eyes resembling Lissa's who said shyly, "Hello." I nodded at her and looked at the Barbie girl with a heart shaped face and a petite body. She looked like an elementary student and not a high school one. But being the martyr I am I said, "Nice to meet you." She introduced herself as Mia.

If there is anything I learned in the past hours then it is that Lissa is a chatterbox. So you can understand my surprise when she remained quiet for like five minutes. I tried to cock an eyebrow but failed miserably and she laughed for a while and then went back to admiring her secret fantasy. I followed her gaze and found myself looking at a black haired boy with blue eyes. He was pretty but so not my type. I looked back at the gang when Mia explained, "He is the Ozera." Lissa sighed dreamily, "Christian Ozera"

Jill piped in, "The Ozera, Ivashkov and Belikov are the infamous trio. They are like the hottest guys on planet." Eddie frowned and nudged Jill,"Hey" She looked at him apologetically and kissed him on his lips. "But you are my hero." She whispered. She started to sit back when Eddie pulled her close to him and started kissing her passionately. Mia made a gagging noise and said, "Geez, get a room." The couple blushed furiously. How cute!

I leaned towards them and whispered like I was telling them a secret which I was, "You know guys there is this secret passage behind the office room." They looked at me shocked and I smirked. "Don't ask me how I know. I have my secrets."They wasted no time in rushing out of the cafeteria to check out the passage and probably do other things too. Lissa shook her in exasperation and Mia's eyes glinted with mischief, no doubt thinking about Eddie and Jill's activities.

Suddenly I was out of my seat and pulled into some stranger's arms. I was so shocked that I didn't even respond when my lips were smashed by the stranger's soft ones. I felt my blood boil and pushed him away with all my might. I wiped my lips trying to get rid of his taste and my hands itched to wipe that annoying smirk off his face. I punched him in the face making him groan. His green eyes which were darker than Lissa's were filled with pain.

The black haired boy sneered, "Got punched by a girl, Ivashkov." My angry mind took control of my body and before I knew I was kicking out my leg to hit Christian's shin, only it never happened. I blinked in surprise and saw a large hand holding my leg making me fall right on my ass. I looked up and saw the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen. With his brown eyes, shoulder long hair and great physique he looked like a 'man'. Suddenly all my ex-boyfriends seemed like mere boys compared to this god. He held out his hand to me and said, "Sorry. My name is Dimitri Belikov." I sat there on the floor dumbstruck not able to form a coherent sentence. His voice was accented which made it sound so sexy. I blinked my eyes again and after making sure that I had no drool on my face I said, "Rose." I gave him my hand and he grabbed them in his large ones. He was 6'7 feet tall.

Just as I was starting to get up he let go of my hand making me fall again. By this time the whole cafeteria was laughing. I stood up and glared at him. "Prick." I mumbled under my breath but loud enough that he heard it. He just smiled sweetly and I felt my heart skip a beat. Why should I be attracted to such an asshole? Just because he is good looking doesn't mean he is a nice guy. He just proved it.

I walked out of the cafeteria more like stormed out followed by Lissa and Mia. At least I have some loyal and _kind_ friends.

**Don't forget to RXR **


	3. Chapter 2

**Thank you everyone**

**Peggy: If I tell you right now then where is the fun in that? :p You will get your answers as we progress with the story **

**Love you all. **

**Disclaimer: All the characters belong to Richelle Mead**

Chapter2

"Rose, you okay?" For a moment I thought Mason was here but when my eyes met Lissa's concerned ones I felt touched. Only Mason really understood me and took care of me. Of course my mother loves me but she doesn't understand me. Now looking at Lissa, I know I am not alone. I gave Lissa a small smile and made my way towards the bathroom.

The scene with the 'trio' reminded me of the time when some really obnoxious guys bothered me. I had been defenseless then and always depended on Mason for my protection. He protected me from the bullies then but now, I have to be my own protector. I didn't realize I was crying when Lissa wiped the tears off my cheek and hugged me. Mia said, "Those people are dicks. Just remember to stay out of their sight and ignore them." They thought I was crying because of those idiots when in reality I was missing my late brother. Lissa asked, "Why don't you come to my house today?"I agreed while Mia apologized and said, "I can't. My parents caught me making out with my neighbor last night and grounded me." We gave her a sympathizing hug.

We moved out of the bathroom and into the busy lobby. The bell rang like ten minutes ago. Shit. I am late again. We said our goodbyes and rushed to our respective class rooms. After entering the class room I found myself sharing the seat with Christian. The day couldn't get any worse. He pointedly ignored me for rest of the lecture and I happily obliged.

After one hour I moved out to my next class where I opted for music. I love playing guitar and guess who taught me? That's right, Mason did. He once told me that nothing stops living as long as it's not forgotten. My way of keeping Mason alive is this music. The best thing about music is one can pour their heart into the music and no one will judge that person for it.

The next lecture got cancelled and we were asked to gather in the gym. I followed other students to the gym room. The room was as huge as I expected. There were bar-bells, parallel bars, jumping board, running path, tennis-balls, fencing gallery, and many more. I was impressed by the availability of many sport gears. I waved a hi to Lissa, Mia, Eddie and Jill. I sneered at the last two, "Tired?" The cute couple blushed furiously thinking about their adventure in the secret lair.

A grey haired hag stood in front of the students while a very athletic looking woman but not less than 40 years old tried to maintain the silence in the room. A sharp whistle pierced the room succeeding in gaining its goal. I looked around and found the whole school body to be present in the gym standing quietly. One boy stood out of the rest and that person turned out to the brown eyed god. There are rumors about Dimitri dating someone older than him. I wonder who that bitch is. He had a smirk on his face when he realized I was still staring at him. I hate that guy and anyway he is not available so why the hell am I lusting after a wrong guy? I moved my eyes to the front blushing slightly and was prevented from much more embarrassing moments when the hag talked. "I hope everyone is here." All the students chimed, "Yes Mam." That hag looked like a vulture with sharp nose and soul reading eyes. She continued, "An inter-school sports competition will be organized and hosted by SADV School where two students from each school will be participating. The venue and date will be given to the chosen candidates later this week. Your gym teacher, Alberta Petrov will be explaining all the technicalities and if any queries you can either approach Miss Petrov or me." Wow! A sports event is what I need to divert my mind and hopefully keep me away from the trio. Excited chatters filled the room.

The moment Alberta stepped in front of us each and every student's ears perked up to hear her instructions like that of a dog. It was humorous but I was kind of excited myself to hear what she was going to say. She looked like a captain of an army ready to command her soldiers. She said, "I know you are very excited about these events but remember that I will test your skills to select the most perfect players. I will be testing your stamina, your will and your intellect. I know this is not a quiz competition but I want my players to be 'the best' in every way and that includes your smartness.

First of all, I will be splitting you into groups of five. After selecting four candidates I will be testing your wisdom and the best two players will be chosen. Simple enough?" I love challenges. This should be fun. Stan handed a glass bowl filled with papers to Alberta. She continued, "Before you exit this room I want you to pick a paper from this bowl where your group numbers will be written along with the date of your test." As instructed, the students formed a line and picked up a small paper out of the bowl and exited the room.

After exiting the gym room I unfolded the small slip of paper.

Group 5-Thursday.

Great, so I have two more days to prepare myself and possibly win this treasure game. Lissa and Mia were in group 3 and Eddie was in group-1. Jill opted out of the game as she was asthmatic and doing strenuous activities could lead to serious consequences. She has no problem doing other kinds of exhausting activities but playing sports is a risk she is not willing to take. Eddie was all supportive of her as expected and I quietly laughed at Eddie's over-protectiveness.

Lissa and Mia weren't so lucky. Both of them hated sports and were very unenthusiastic about the test. Eddie was more like me. He admitted to like sports and looking at his muscles, I could say that he worked out too.

Finally the school ended and after saying goodbyes, Eddie and I walked to the bus stop. We talked a lot during the ride back home where he told me about his family. His mother worked in a bakery shop and he had a part time job in automobile repair shop. When I asked him about his father, his face grew sad and he explained that his father died when he was five years old. I seriously admire all those women who raise their kids all alone without any help from others which includes my mother too. At the age of twenty my mother lost her family to fire. I spoke to him about my family and how my father left us and my mother had to take care of me. I didn't tell him about Mason. I don't think I am ready for that yet.

Before parting ways, I hugged him and said, "I would like to meet your mother sometime." He smiled at me and nodded his head. He suddenly asked, "Rose, you mentioned about going over to Lissa's place right?" What was he getting at? I nodded my head once waiting for him to speak up again. Eddie continued in a rush, "I have a date with Jill today and I need your help in buying a gift for her." I smiled at him. "You love her." It was more of a statement than a question but he answered anyway, "Yes. So meet you in an hour."

Later when I reached home, I followed the delicious smell of food and found my mother in kitchen cooking something. I hugged her and greeted, "Hi mom." She turned around and gave a sweet kiss on my forehead. She asked, "How was your first day?" Was it only my first day? In a span of eight hours, I made friends, got humiliated by the guy I am secretly attracted to and got an invitation to my best friend or soon to be my best friend's house. So I began to tell her everything including the upcoming sport event but missed out the part with the trio. No need to worry her about something so trivial. I noticed that she looked tensed for some reason and when I asked her about it she shook it off saying "It's nothing, honey. I am just worried about this new case." Oh, did I tell you that my mother is a cop? One of the perks of having your mother as a cop is that she is a badass who is currently training me to be one too. I love my training lessons with my mother and can't wait to see what the school can offer. My mother can sniff out the criminals from their hiding spots and so mom is often given hard cases which sometimes results in her staying over-night in the office.

I gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder like she was my child and not the other way around and moved to my room. If you want to describe my room in one word then the most appropriate word would be 'mess.' My room follows the law of thermodynamics. No matter how many times I clean my room it goes back to its state of disorder where it attains its complete stability. In simple terms, my room is always a mess. I changed into a sweet girl outfit with knee length skirt and white shirt and combed my hair straight. After applying small amount of make-up I was ready to go.

I chatted with my mother some more until Eddie arrived at our doorstep. I introduced them to each other and we were soon making our way to Lissa's place. Eddie had a bike instead of a car. "If you have a bike then why do you travel by bus?" He admitted sheepishly, "The bike is not mine. I borrowed it for one day." Eddie bought box full of chocolates and a small locket with love engraved on it for Jill. Eddie looked nervous and I squeezed his hand in encouragement. "This is your first time, isn't it?" He looked confused for a moment and then nodded nervously, "Yeah. To be honest, I just want to turn around and escape before this door opens and reveals Mr. and Mrs. Dragomir." I held his hand tightly just in case he tried to escape and knocked on the door. The door opened and just like Eddie predicted Mr. and Mrs. Dragomir greeted us inside. They looked like sweet parents who just wanted their daughter to be safe and happy. After some more rules talking Jill came out of her room and saved her boy friend from her parents and went out. Lissa's mother asked politely, "Are you hungry, dear?" I am always hungry but I declined waiting for Lissa who was having her bath. Lissa's parents offered to show me their house and I replied, "Of course Mr. and Mrs. Dragomir. I would definitely like a tour of your house."

Lissa's father said, "Please call me Eric and this is my beautiful wife, Rhea. Lissa talks a lot about you." Rhea continued, "She said you are new to this place. If you need any help don't hesitate to call us." I smiled at them pleased and agreed to ask for their help when needed. The house looked like one of those model houses in magazines. Huge chandeliers hung down the ceiling of the living room and the kitchen had a door opening to the outdoor dining table. When we reached Lissa's room, I was rendered speechless. There was a canopy bed with ceiling fan and a walk-in closet attached to the wall. It was quite beautiful; in fact it was fit for a princess. Their house screamed money but they were humble enough to not gloat about it. Lissa came out of the bath room and into her room where I was already waiting for her.

She squealed and hugged me fiercely, "Lissa…..I can't…..breathe." She moved back and said, "Oh I am so sorry." She pulled out her drawer and showed me her collection of nail paints. "Choose a color." I picked red and Lissa sat in front of me asking me to show my finger nails. I tried to deny but soon learned that saying no to Lissa was like talking to a wall. She painted my nails red and then moved to style my hair. We talked a lot in that time period. I told her everything about my past except about my brother while she told me about hers. She said, "I have a brother named Andre who just graduated two years ago. He stays in Chicago with his friends for attending a college there. You already met my sister, Jill. She is a year younger than us but a real sweety. My mom and dad are the best couple I have ever known coz they love each other so much and I would like to experience that love some day." She even told me about her crush on Christian and how he never seemed to notice her. I asked, "Did you even approach him and say hello? Not that I am complaining because those people are fools. Stay away from them especially, Christian." She opened her mouth to defend her supposed lover but thought better of it. After some more pampering I decided to blow dry her wet hair and then painted her nails pink. Pink is her favorite color. Eww…

By the time Eddie arrived it was already 9. Lissa's parents asked us to join them for the dinner but we politely declined. Saying goodbye to them we moved back to our house.

That night I had dinner with my mom where we shared our day's work with each other. I told her about Lissa while she talked about her cases. I loved figuring out the puzzles and contribute in solving her cases. But this time my mother was a bit reluctant in sharing her case. But I finally coaxed her to tell me about the case.

**Curious about the case?**

**And let me tell you that Janine married Rose's father at the age of twenty. Ring any bells?**

**RXR**


	4. Chapter 3

**Thanks for reading the previously uploaded chapters. **

**Rose only finds him attractive. She doesn't love him, at least not yet. As for what Dimitri was thinking when he humiliated Rose like that, only he knows. Love is a mixture of hate, attraction, jealousy (hence Tasha), care and danger. So you will have to read the story to know more. Thanks for reading.**

Before she could start out to explain, her cell phone chimed piercing the silent room. She took out her mobile from the pocket and said, "I have to take this call, Rose." What could have possibly happened to make my mother so worried? Her profession demanded not only her strength but also her intelligence. I waited for my mother to finish her call. I know patience is not my virtue. But sometimes I can be mature too. But only sometimes. After finishing up with her talk she rushed to her room to grab her car keys, purse and a gun. I wonder when my mother will let me hold that precious thing (gun).

I followed my mother like a lost puppy to her room and asked, "Mom, what's going on?" to which she replied, "I have to go hon. They have made a major breakthrough in the case and here-"She handed me a form like thing and said, "This will explain everything that I wanted to tell you about the case." It was a report and not a form. Before going out she hugged me fiercely placing a goodbye kiss on my fore head and said, "Be careful" I smiled at her and said, "You too." After locking the door securely and activating the alarm system I flopped down on bed and held out the report in front of me. It read-

Status-dead

Number of victims-four

Male/female- all female

Reason behind the murder-Unknown

Any pattern-all murdered in similar manner with body parts chopped off and scattered in different places

Names of victim and their origin-Melena (Ulm), Elizabeth (Richey), Tessa (Noxon) and Piora (Elliston)

Age-Melena-35, Elizabeth-43, Tessa-37, Piora-39

Suspected culprit-none

OMG. According to the file, four women died in the space of two weeks and the murderer is still free. He seems to be targeting middle-aged women but why?

That night my mother called up to say that she was not going to make it to home. And as usual she rumbled on about all safety issues and be-careful rules. After saying goodbye I made my way to bed and fell asleep.

The next day was uneventful. Lissa and Mia failed in the test but I was determined to pass it and so I exercised myself that day.

_ I was in a club wearing a very skimpy outfit trying to find someone to dance with. The booming music made me want to jump up and down like the others. I turned around my seat and asked the bartender to get me vodka. "Hey beautiful" Finally someone had the nerve to talk to me. I smiled turning to meet the stranger with sexy voice when I heard, "Rose wake up!" Wake up? _

I pulled the blanket over my face trying to block out the sun light. "If you don't wake up right now, you are not going to get anything for breakfast", my mother threatened. Did I mention that my mother is a devil incarnate? I bolted out of the bed and huffed, "Okay okay, I am up." If there is anything that I love more than my mother then it is the food. I cannot live a day without having my favorite donuts or pizza or burger or….the list goes on. With the amount of food I eat, people would assume I am some fat elephant-like girl. But I work out regularly in the gym that my mother had people construct in the basement. I cleaned myself up and after putting on appropriate attire fitting for an athlete I made way to the kitchen.

"Are you ready for the test today?" That's right, today is Thursday. I answered cheerfully, "I am good. In fact I am excited for this test and can't wait to see what it is going to be." I ate my breakfast and grabbed my bag. I opened the door and waved at my mother and moved in the direction of the school.

The moment I stepped inside the school, Lissa and Mia nearly choked me to death and I am not kidding. They hugged me so tight I wonder how I am still alive. They did not show any kind of gloomy attitude for failing the test. But for me, sport is the only thing that I excel at. I waved them good bye and zoomed towards the gym. The students going through the selection were relieved from attending any lectures. Sadly it was for only one day.

There were ten more students waiting in the race course. I put my bag down, greeted Alberta and positioned myself to be ready for the run. Alberta said, "Now that everyone is here, you will start your run when I tell you so."

I took a deep breath and then crouched down in position. "On your mark, Get set, Go!" I sprinted across the race course wanting to reach the finish line before anyone could even blink. While nearing the goal a girl named Meredith tried to keep pace with me. But I was determined to win. After some tense moment toward the end, I won the race. No surprise there. I might sound cocky but that is the fact.

The race was followed by push-ups, short put and many more games and the test was finally over when Alberta announced that Meredith and I were the ones selected. I was anxious as well as excited for the last test. Everyone exited the room except for the selected ones which included Meredith and me.

Alberta motioned us towards her office where we sat down and she explained in her raspy voice, "One of the players is already chosen. In order to participate in the event, you two will have to compete against each other real hard. I congratulate you for making it this far but this is the most important moment where the best one will be chosen. The final test is called 'The Treasure Game'." Wow! Now that is something. I was excited but the moment she explained the rules my jubilant mood dimmed a little.

She continued, "As I mentioned before this final test will check your wisdom. The rules are simple. You go to various places where you will find the clues and solve those puzzles to win the game. You have to complete this game within school hours and your time starts….now!" What the fuck?! She did not give us any clues nor did she mention any place so from where am I supposed to start? Meredith and I walked down the hall each engrossed in our own thoughts. We parted ways and did not even acknowledge the presence of the other as we couldn't afford to be friends right now not when we had to compete against each other.

My mind was so far gone that I entered in a wrong class. A teacher named Sonya Karp was teaching the class. She was beautiful. Her slim build combined with blond hair would simply make her win any pageant show. I mumbled an apology and she gave me sweet smile saying, "Life is a race. Everything has a beginning. To build a house we have to start from the base." I walked out of the classroom confused. Was she a… 'Gone case'? But something in that line struck me as odd. Everything has a beginning.

I was stupid for not realizing it sooner. The clue is in the place where it all began, where this game began.

I dashed towards the gym anxious to get the next clue. I searched the entire gym for last twenty minutes when I finally found a paper stuck beneath a trampoline. It read,

Water, Water everywhere;

But not a drop to drink.

Well, that clears everything. I walked out of the gym feeling dejected. There is a reason why I hate studies. I thought playing sports was supposed to be a brainless job but this sport freak, I mean Alberta has a 'view' of her own. Instead of wandering around the school aimlessly, I decided to sit in class. That happens once in a blue moon. I did not mean the attending class part but the actual thinking one. I never think about doing something as mundane as attending a lecture. But I guess everything has a first time. All the deliberation about the riddle thing is going to fry my brain. That's why, I thought of relaxing myself and what better place than the class itself where I can doze off? Not a bad idea, huh?

But I found it impossible to relax in my class as my mind kept wandering back to the riddle. Water, water everywhere. Was it a cafeteria where numerous bottles of distilled water are sold? But that would be wrong as the next line of the riddle mentioned that we couldn't drink that water. The next option is bath tub but the school doesn't have any. Therefore it has to be something that resembles a bath tub.

I banged my head on the desk laughing at my own stupidity. The whole class room including the teacher had a funny look on their face but I ignored them. I dashed in the direction of my destination but found Meredith already walking out of the place with a paper in hand. I have to be fast. But how was I supposed to find a clue in pool?

By the end of an hour I found it inside one of the many lockers in the dressing room. I clutched the paper tightly in my hand and did a small victory dance.

After sometime, Lissa found me sulking in the bathroom. I couldn't help it. The third clue or was it second? Anyway figuring out this clue was beyond me. It might be simple but I am not smart no matter what Mason used to say. Mason with his blue-eyes and red hair was always ready to cheer me up. But Lissa did a fair job herself. I was not allowed to say anything to her but I did mention about how hard the final clue is. The paper mentioned figuring out this clue will be the end of the game. It was almost end of the day (school). Lissa gave a soothing pat on my back and said, "Rose, don't give up yet. I know you can win this game because you are that good. I might have known you for a short time but I am very aware of the fact that if there is anyone who deserves to participate in the sport competition then it is you." Her words encouraged me and I gave her a tight hug before storming out of the bathroom with purposeful stride.

I opened the paper and read the lines again and again. How could three elements (fire, air and water) be inside a mirror? At first I thought that something must be glued behind the mirror kept in a room where all these elements were present. But I was wrong. There wasn't anything like that.

That's when a thought struck my mind. What about a glass? A mirror is made out of glass and these elements must be present inside it or something like that. A glass like thing? What could it be? Some help would have been appreciated but sadly it wasn't allowed.

A glass could be a test-tube. A place where test-tube and compounds (the elements) are present.

Chemistry lab!

Sure enough I found a paper with BINGO written on it in the lab. I was happy that I finally figured it out but was ecstatic when I found out that I was the only one in Alberta's room. Meredith did not make it.

A part of me felt sorry for her but that part was as small as a drop in ocean which can be easily neglected. Alberta congratulated me and said, "You are the final and the last player for this event. May I introduce you to your partner who will be training with you for the next three months?-

Dimitri Belikov." Oh hell!

**Oh no, how is rose going to react to that news? Will she throw a tantrum or behave like a matured girl? **

**My exams are coming up (Wish me luck) and I am busy with the preparations. So I might not be able to update chapters fast enough. But I will try my level best to update chapter soon. **

**Don't forget to review.**


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